Cissye Gallagher takes her place in Mississippi’s sports history
JACKSON, Miss. (BVM) — When thinking of Louisiana State University, one probably pictures the recent national champion football team or maybe even remembers that Shaquille O’Neal, one of basketball’s greatest players of all-time, graced the hardwood there.
But it’s not as commonly known that one of golf’s greatest competitors attended LSU as well. Mary “Cissye” Gallagher would become one of the sport’s more memorable players.
Gallagher is the daughter of former pro golfer Ed Meeks, so naturally, golf was the sport of the household. When she was just 13 years old, Cissye suffered a terrible injury. One golfer was in the middle of his swing when the golf club struck her in the head. She was rushed to the hospital where she would recover.
The injury did not sway Gallagher from the game. Instead, it made her want to pursue it more. For Gallagher, a hall of fame career would ensue.
She attended Pillow Academy in Greenwood, Miss. where she played golf for the boys team and would win a number of tournaments before earning a scholarship to play golf at LSU.
While attending LSU, Gallagher’s golf career would skyrocket. She played in three NCAA National Championships, finishing 14th in 1988. Her college career ended with the most rounds ever played for the Tigers. She also helped the women’s team capture eight
tournament titles during her time in Baton Rouge.
As a senior, Cissye fell in love with a future PGA Tour participant, Jim Gallagher. His golf career also was beginning to take off. While Jim was on the PGA Tour, he would record five tour wins. Jim was also a member of the 1993 U.S. Ryder Cup team and 1994 U.S. Presidents Cup team that were both victorious.
Cissye secured her professional status in 1990, but she would only make a handful of appearances after deciding the LPGA was not for her. She wanted a family, and with her husband starting his career in the PGA, it was best for her to step away from the professional stage.
Around the same time, Cissye captured an amateur championship and would go on one of the most dominant runs golf has ever seen. It was on par with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the ‘90s. MJ and the Bulls were three-peat NBA champions twice (1991-93 and 1996-98). Mary won her first three championships from 1986-88. She would three-peat again from 1997-99.
Her game was so dominant that she didn’t have to play the last six holes in multiple tournaments. Two of her championships even came while she was pregnant. After a broken thumb and a broken wrist, Cissye would go on to win two more tournaments. A true competitor, she was the Michael Jordan of amateur golf in Mississippi.
Cissye captured her 12th women’s state amateur title in 2015, which is the most ever by any golfer. Cissye faced her oldest daughter, Mary Langdon, three times in the state amateur championship before matching up against her middle daughter, Kathleen.
“Even though I was disappointed after my loss, I hugged her tight on the 18th hole and let her know that if she’s going to beat me out, she better keep going and get her 12th win,” Kathleen said. “And sure enough, she did it. It was one of the coolest days ever to share with her because usually the roles were reversed. She sacrificed her time and many opportunities in order to help me and I’m thankful I got to be a part of her record-breaking moment.”
Cissye has not only made an impact on her daughters’ lives, she has also made many positive impacts on those looking to further their golf careers.
“My mom has this really special thing about her and that is how well she creates relationships and finds ways to help others achieve their goals,” said Kathleen, who also played golf at LSU. “She has helped connect so many young junior golfers to college coaches and figured out ways for them to receive scholarships and play collegiate golf. She has such a deep passion for the game of golf and people that it has allowed her to really make a difference in a lot of young junior golfers’ lives.”
Her latest achievement was in 2019 when Cissye was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. She was the only female member in the class.
“It was awesome to see her amongst some of the most talented and accomplished athletes in Mississippi sports,” Kathleen said. “The room was full of tables reserved for Cissye’s friends and family and that just goes to show how special she is not only to the golf community, but to so many people across our sweet state of Mississippi. It’s definitely an honor to be known as one of Cissye’s girls because there is no one like her.”
